U.S. patent number 11,067,332 [Application Number 16/977,686] was granted by the patent office on 2021-07-20 for refrigerator and drawer assembly thereof.
This patent grant is currently assigned to HAIER SMART HOME CO., LTD., QINGDAO HAIER SPECIAL REFRIGERATION ELECTRIC APPLIANCE CO., LTD.. The grantee listed for this patent is HAIER SMART HOME CO., LTD., QINGDAO HAIER SPECIAL REFRIGERATION ELECTRIC APPLIANCE CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Dong Guo, Haoquan Liu, Jing Wang, Xiaobing Zhu.
United States Patent |
11,067,332 |
Wang , et al. |
July 20, 2021 |
Refrigerator and drawer assembly thereof
Abstract
A drawer assembly includes: drawers, arranged in a storage
compartment of the refrigerator in a way of being capable of being
pushed and pulled forward and rearward between a front extreme
position and a rear extreme position; and two support assemblies in
left-right parallel arrangement. Each of the support assemblies
includes a support frame. The support frame is fixed to an inner
wall of the storage compartment, is provided on an inner side with
a first slideway extending forward and rearward, and is provided on
a rear portion of the inner side with an elastic tongue. A left
sidewall and a right sidewall of the drawer are respectively
mounted on the first sideway of the support frame of one of the
support assemblies in a forward and rearward slidable way.
Inventors: |
Wang; Jing (Qingdao,
CN), Zhu; Xiaobing (Qingdao, CN), Liu;
Haoquan (Qingdao, CN), Guo; Dong (Qingdao,
CN) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HAIER SMART HOME CO., LTD.
QINGDAO HAIER SPECIAL REFRIGERATION ELECTRIC APPLIANCE CO.,
LTD. |
Shandong
Shangdong |
N/A
N/A |
CN
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
HAIER SMART HOME CO., LTD.
(Qingdao, CN)
QINGDAO HAIER SPECIAL REFRIGERATION ELECTRIC APPLIANCE CO.,
LTD. (Qingdao, CN)
|
Family
ID: |
1000005685841 |
Appl.
No.: |
16/977,686 |
Filed: |
December 12, 2018 |
PCT
Filed: |
December 12, 2018 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/CN2018/120693 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
September 02, 2020 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO2019/165823 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
September 06, 2019 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20200393195 A1 |
Dec 17, 2020 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
|
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Mar 2, 2018 [CN] |
|
|
201810175441.3 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D
23/067 (20130101); F25D 25/025 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F25D
25/02 (20060101); F25D 23/06 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
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Foreign Patent Documents
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204421472 |
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205493181 |
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Aug 2016 |
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CN |
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106979644 |
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Jul 2017 |
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CN |
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206600958 |
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Oct 2017 |
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CN |
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108050759 |
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May 2018 |
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CN |
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108204708 |
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Jun 2018 |
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CN |
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208059395 |
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H08219634 |
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Aug 1996 |
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JP |
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5320228 |
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JP |
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2477826 |
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RU |
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2529916 |
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Oct 2014 |
|
RU |
|
Other References
International Search Report for PCT/CN2018/120693 dated Feb. 15,
2019, ISA/CN (4 pages). cited by applicant .
Written Opinion for PCT/CN2018/120693 dated Feb. 15, 2019, ISA/CN
(8 pages). cited by applicant .
1.sup.st Search Report of priority application CN201810175441.3
dated Jul. 15, 2019 (3 pages). cited by applicant .
1.sup.st Office Action of priority application CN201810175441.3
dated Jul. 24, 2019 (3 pages). cited by applicant .
Search Report for Russian Application No. 2020132270 completed Dec.
20, 2020, with English translation (4 pages). cited by
applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Wright; Kimberley S
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Alston & Bird LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A drawer assembly for a refrigerator, comprising: a drawer,
arranged in a storage compartment of the refrigerator in a way of
being capable of being pushed and pulled forward and rearward
between a front extreme position and a rear extreme position; and
two support assemblies in left-right parallel arrangement, wherein
each of the support assemblies comprises a support frame, and the
support frame is fixed to an inner wall of the storage compartment,
is provided on an inner side with a first slideway extending
forward and rearward, and is provided on a rear portion of the
inner side with an elastic tongue; and a left sidewall and a right
sidewall of the drawer are respectively mounted on the first
sideway of the support frame of one of the support assemblies in a
forward and rearward slidable way, and the drawer assembly is
configured as: when the drawer is moved rearward to approach to the
rear extreme position, a rear end of the drawer pushes rearward the
elastic tongue, so that the elastic tongue generates elastic
deformation, thus allowing the elastic tongue to apply a forward
elastic cushioning force to the drawer, wherein the left sidewall
and the right sidewall of the drawer are respectively provided with
an upper guide strip and a lower guide strip located below the
upper guide strip, and the upper guide strip and the lower guide
strip are both provided with a bottom edge gradually sloping
downward from the rear side to the front side; an upper slide
groove and a lower slide groove are formed in the support frame,
the upper slide groove extends forward and rearward, and the lower
slide groove is provided with a front vertical section, a
horizontal section extending rearward from a bottom end of the
front vertical section, and a rear vertical section extending
downward from a rear end of the horizontal section; and the support
assembly further comprises: a connecting member, wherein front and
rear ends of the connecting member are respectively provided with a
front guide post and a rear guide post with axes extending leftward
and rightward, the front guide post extends into the lower slide
groove, and the rear guide post extends into the upper slide
groove; and an elastic element, applying a rearward elastic
pre-tightening force to the connecting member; and the drawer
assembly is configured as: when the drawer is in a normal open
state, the front guide post is clamped in the front vertical
section, and the upper guide strip and the lower guide strip are
located in front of the front guide post; in a process of moving
rearward the drawer, the upper guide strip is moved rearward, and
at the same time, the bottom edge of the upper guide strip presses
downward the front guide post, so that the front guide post leaves
away from the front vertical section to enter the horizontal
section and is abutted against a front edge of the lower guide
strip, thus pushing the drawer to move rearward in an accelerated
way under the effect of the elastic pre-tightening force; in a
process of moving forward and opening the drawer, the lower guide
strip pushes forward the front guide post, so that the front guide
post is clamped in the front vertical section again, and the drawer
is continuously moved forward; and when the drawer is in an
abnormal open state that the front guide post is clamped at the
rear end of the horizontal section, the drawer is moved rearward,
the lower guide strip is moved rearward, and at the same time, the
bottom edge of the lower guide strip presses downward the front
guide post, so that the front guide post enters the rear vertical
section so as to allow the lower guide strip to cross the front
guide post, and the front guide post is located in front of the
lower guide strip again.
2. The drawer assembly according to claim 1, wherein the elastic
tongue extends forward and rearward, a rear portion of the elastic
tongue is fixed to the support frame, and a front portion gradually
slopes upward and tilts from the rear side to the front side; and
when the drawer is moved rearward to approach to the rear extreme
position, the rear end of the drawer is in contact with a lower
surface of the front portion of the elastic tongue so as to push
rearward the elastic tongue, so that the front portion of the
elastic tongue bends upward to apply the elastic cushioning force
to the drawer.
3. The drawer assembly according to claim 2, wherein the rear
portion of the elastic tongue extends along a horizontal plane, and
an included angle between the front portion and the horizontal
plane is in a range of 5.degree. to 10.degree..
4. The drawer assembly according to claim 2, wherein a first pulley
is respectively mounted at a rear end of the left sidewall and the
right sidewall of the drawer; when the drawer is moved forward and
rearward, the first pulley rolls on an upper surface of the first
slideway; and when the drawer is moved rearward to approach to the
rear extreme position, the first pulley is in contact with the
lower surface of the front portion of the elastic tongue so as to
push rearward the elastic tongue.
5. The drawer assembly according to claim 4, wherein the left
sidewall and the right sidewall of the drawer are respectively
provided with a second slideway extending forward and rearward, and
a front end of the inner side of the support frame is provided with
a second pulley; and when the drawer is moved forward and rearward,
the second pulley rolls along a lower surface of the second
slideway so as to support the second slideway.
6. The drawer assembly according to claim 5, wherein a stop block
is fixed to a rear end of the inner side of the support frame; and
when the drawer is moved rearward to the rearward extreme position,
the rear end of the drawer collides with the stop block, so that
the drawer is incapable of being continuously moved rearward.
7. The drawer assembly according to claim 1, wherein the drawer
assembly is further configured as: in the process of moving
rearward the drawer, when the front guide post leaves away from the
front vertical section, a front end of the lower guide strip is
located at a preset distance in front of the front guide post, so
that after leaving away from the front vertical section, the front
guide post is moved rearward under the effect of the elastic
pre-tightening force to collide with the lower guide strip, and a
prompt sound of drawer closing is given out.
8. The drawer assembly according to claim 1, wherein the support
frame is provided with an inner layer plate and an outer layer
plate extending forward and rearward and parallel to each other,
the upper slide groove is respectively formed in the inner layer
plate and the outer layer plate, and the lower slide groove is
formed in the inner layer plate; and the connecting member is
located between the inner layer plate and the outer layer plate,
the rear end of the connecting member is provided with two of the
rear guide posts extending leftward and rightward, the two rear
guide posts respectively enter one of the upper slide grooves, and
the front end of the connecting member is provided with one of the
front guide posts extending toward the drawer.
9. A refrigerator, comprising a refrigerator body defining a
storage component, and at least one drawer assembly according to
claim 1, wherein the support frame of the support assembly is fixed
to the inner wall of the storage compartment; and the left sidewall
and the right sidewall of the drawer are respectively mounted on
the first sideway of the support frame of one of the support
assemblies in a forward and rearward translatable way.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a national phase entry of International
Application No. PCT/CN2018/120693, filed Dec. 12, 2018, which
claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201810175441.3,
filed Mar. 2, 2018, which are incorporated herein by reference in
their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a refrigeration and freezing
device, and more particularly relates to a refrigerator and a
drawer assembly thereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A drawer of a refrigerator is generally arranged in a storage
compartment in a way of being capable of being pushed and pulled. A
slide rail device is arranged iii on an inner wall of the storage
compartment, and is beneficial to the forward and rearward movement
of the drawer. However, for convenience, a user often closes the
drawer with greater pushing force, so that when the drawer is about
to be closed, a front end wall of the drawer collides with a
refrigerator body, thus generating great noise and damaging
articles in the drawer. The drawer is easy to break down due to
long-term collision, so that the service life of the drawer is
shortened.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
One objective of the present invention is to overcome at least one
defect in the prior art and to provide a refrigerator with a novel
and simple structure and a drawer assembly thereof. When a drawer
is about to be closed, the rearward movement of the drawer is
cushioned, so that the drawer is stably closed.
Another objective of the present invention is to realize
power-assisted automatic closing of the drawer.
A yet another objective of the present invention is to give out a
prompt sound during the closing of the drawer, so as to prompt a
user to loosen the grip after the prompt sound is heard, so that
the automatic subsequent closing process of the drawer is
completed.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a drawer assembly for
a refrigerator, including:
drawers, arranged in a storage compartment of the refrigerator in a
way of being capable of being pushed and pulled forward and
rearward between a front extreme position and a rear extreme
position; and
two support assemblies in left-right parallel arrangement. Each of
the support assemblies includes a support frame. The support frame
is fixed to an inner wall of the storage compartment, is provided
on an inner side with a first slideway extending forward and
rearward, and is provided on a rear portion of the inner side with
an elastic tongue.
A left sidewall and a right sidewall of the drawer are respectively
mounted on the first sideway of the support frame of one of the
support assemblies in a forward and rearward slidable way. The
drawer assembly is configured as: when the drawer is moved rearward
to approach to the rear extreme position, a rear end of the drawer
pushes rearward the elastic tongue, so that the elastic tongue
generates elastic deformation, thus allowing the elastic tongue to
apply a forward elastic cushioning force to the drawer.
Optionally, the elastic tongue extends forward and rearward.
Additionally, a rear portion of the elastic tongue is fixed to the
support frame. A front portion gradually slopes upward and tilts
from the rear side to the front side. When the drawer is moved
rearward to approach to the rear extreme position, the rear end of
the drawer is in contact with a lower surface of the front portion
of the elastic tongue so as to push rearward the elastic tongue, so
that the front portion of the elastic tongue bends upward to apply
the elastic cushioning force to the drawer.
Optionally, the rear portion of the elastic tongue extends along a
horizontal plane. An included angle between the front portion and
the horizontal plane is in a range of 5.degree. to 10.degree..
Optionally, a first pulley is respectively mounted at a rear end of
the left sidewall and the right sidewall of the drawer. When the
drawer is moved forward and rearward, the first pulley rolls on an
upper surface of the first slideway. Additionally, when the drawer
is moved rearward to approach to the rear extreme position, the
first pulley is in contact with the lower surface of the front
portion of the elastic tongue so as to push rearward the elastic
tongue.
Optionally, the left sidewall and the right sidewall of the drawer
are respectively provided with a second slideway extending forward
and rearward. A front end of the inner side of the support frame is
provided with a second pulley. When the drawer is moved forward and
rearward, the second pulley rolls along a lower surface of the
second slideway so as to support the second slideway.
Optionally, a stop block is fixed to a rear end of the inner side
of the support frame. When the drawer is moved rearward to the
rearward extreme position, a rear end of the second slideway
collides with the stop block, so that the drawer is incapable of
being continuously moved rearward.
Optionally, the left sidewall and the right sidewall of the drawer
are respectively provided with an upper guide strip and a lower
guide strip located below the upper guide strip. The upper guide
strip and the lower guide strip are both provided with a bottom
edge gradually sloping downward from the rear side to the front
side. An upper slide groove and a lower slide groove are formed in
the support frame. The upper slide groove extends forward and
rearward. The lower slide groove is provided with a front vertical
section, a horizontal section extending rearward from a bottom end
of the front vertical section, and a rear vertical section
extending downward from a rear end of the horizontal section.
Additionally, the support assembly further includes: a connecting
member and an elastic element. Front and rear ends of the
connecting member are respectively provided with a front guide post
and a rear guide post with axes extending leftward and rightward.
The front guide post extends into the lower slide groove. The rear
guide post extends into the upper slide groove. The elastic element
applies a rearward elastic pre-tightening force to the connecting
member. The drawer assembly is configured as: when the drawer is in
a normal open state, the front guide post is clamped in the front
vertical section, the upper guide strip and the lower guide strip
are located in front of the front guide post; in a process of
moving rearward the drawer, the upper guide strip is moved
rearward, and at the same time, the bottom edge of the upper guide
strip presses downward the front guide post, so that the front
guide post leaves away from the front vertical section to enter the
horizontal section and is abutted against a front edge of the lower
guide strip, thus pushing the drawer to move rearward in an
accelerated way under the effect of the elastic pre-tightening
force; in a process of moving forward and opening the drawer, the
lower guide strip pushes forward the front guide post, so that the
front guide post is clamped in the front vertical section again,
and the drawer is continuously moved forward; and additionally,
when the drawer is in an abnormal open state that the front guide
post is clamped at the rear end of the horizontal section, the
drawer is moved rearward, the lower guide strip is moved rearward,
and at the same time, the bottom edge of the lower guide strip
presses downward the front guide post, so that the front guide post
enters the rear vertical section so as to allow the lower guide
strip to cross the front guide post, and the front guide post is
located in front of the lower guide strip again.
Optionally, the drawer assembly is further configured as: in the
process of moving rearward the drawer, when the front guide post
leaves away from the front vertical section, a front end of the
lower guide strip is located at a preset distance in front of the
front guide post, so that after leaving away from the front
vertical section, the front guide post is moved rearward under the
effect of the elastic pre-tightening force to collide with the
lower guide strip, and a prompt sound of drawer closing is given
out.
Optionally, the support frame is provided with an inner layer plate
and an outer layer plate extending forward and rearward and
parallel to each other. The upper slide groove is respectively
formed in the inner layer plate and the outer layer plate. The
lower slide groove is formed in the inner layer plate. The
connecting member is located between the inner layer plate and the
outer layer plate. The rear end of the connecting member is
provided with two of the rear guide posts extending leftward and
rightward. The two rear guide posts respectively enter one of the
upper slide grooves. The front end of the connecting member is
provided with one of the front guide posts extending toward the
drawer.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a refrigerator,
including a refrigerator body defining a storage component, and at
least one drawer assembly according to any one of the above. The
support frame of the support assembly is fixed to the inner wall of
the storage compartment. The left sidewall and the right sidewall
of the drawer are respectively mounted on the first sideway of the
support frame of one of the support assemblies in a forward and
rearward translatable way.
According to the refrigerator and the drawer assembly thereof of
the present invention, each drawer is mounted on the two support
frames in a forward and rearward translatable way. When the drawer
is moved rearward to approach to the rear extreme position, the
elastic tongue at the rear portion of the support frame will be
pushed, so that the elastic tongue generates elastic deformation so
as to apply the forward elastic cushioning force to the drawer.
Therefore, the rearward movement of the drawer is cushioned, and
the drawer will be stably closed without seriously colliding with
other components of the refrigerator. Generation of great noise is
avoided. The service life of the drawer assembly is prolonged.
Damage cannot be caused on food in the drawer.
Further, the refrigerator and the refrigerator assembly thereof of
the present invention realize the power-assisted automatic closing
of the drawer by using the two support assemblies, are simple in
structure, and are not easy to break down. Additionally, when the
drawer is in the abnormal open state that the front guide post is
clamped at the rear end of the horizontal section, the user only
needs to move rearward the drawer to allow the front guide post to
be back to the front of the lower guide strip again, so that the
mechanism returns to normal, professional repair is not needed, and
the use is very convenient and fast.
Further, according to the refrigerator and the refrigerator
assembly thereof of the present invention, when the drawer is
closed, and after leaving away from the front vertical section, the
front guide post can be moved forward under the effect of the
elastic pre-tightening force to collide with the lower guide strip,
so as to give out the prompt sound. After hearing the prompt sound,
the user loosens the grip, so that the subsequent closing process
of the drawer can be completed automatically. The user experience
is very good.
The above and other objectives, advantages and features of the
present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the
art from the following detailed description of specific embodiments
of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Some specific embodiments of the present invention will be
described in detail hereinafter in way of example and not by way of
limitation with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same
reference numerals in the drawings indicate the same or similar
components or parts. It should be understood by those skilled in
the art that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In
the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a schematic assembly diagram of a refrigerator body and a
drawer assembly of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the
present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded view of a structure shown in FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic structure diagram of two drawers and support
assemblies thereof in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded view of a structure shown in FIG.
3;
FIG. 5 is a schematic left view of the drawer;
FIG. 6 is a schematic structure diagram of an inner side of a
support frame;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a position N in FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a schematic exploded view of the support assembly;
FIG. 9 is a schematic structure diagram of a middle support
assembly;
FIG. 10 is a schematic exploded view of the middle support
assembly;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the drawer assembly when the drawer
is in a normal open state;
FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of a position A in FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the drawer assembly when the drawer
is in a closed state;
FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of a position B in FIG. 13;
FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the drawer assembly when the drawer
is in an abnormal open state;
FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of a position C in FIG. 15;
FIG. 17 is a sectional view of the drawer assembly at a moment when
a front guide post is pressed into a rear vertical section;
FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of a position D in FIG. 17;
FIG. 19 is a schematic sectional view of a local structure of the
drawer at a second slideway;
FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of a position M in FIG. 2; and
FIG. 21 is a schematic structure diagram of a bottom of an upper
cover plate.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
An embodiment of the present invention provides a refrigerator and
a drawer assembly thereof. FIG. 1 shows a partial structure of the
refrigerator, and only shows a storage compartment and an internal
structure thereof.
As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the refrigerator includes a
refrigerator body 30. The refrigerator body 30 defines the storage
compartment with an open front side, so as to store articles. Front
and rear directions have been shown in the figure. At least one
drawer assembly is arranged in the storage compartment. Each drawer
assembly includes drawers 20 arranged in the storage compartment in
a way of being capable of being pushed and pulled forward and
rearward between a front extreme position (a position where the
drawer cannot be continuously moved forward through forward
pulling) and a rear extreme position (a position where the drawer
cannot be continuously moved rearward through rearward pushing),
and two support assemblies 10 in left-right parallel arrangement.
Each of the support assemblies 10 includes a support frame 100. The
support frame 100 is fixed to an inner wall of the storage
compartment, and is provided on an inner side with a first slideway
110 extending forward and rearward. A left sidewall 21 and a right
sidewall 22 of the drawer 20 are respectively mounted on the first
sideway 110 of the support frame 100 of one of the support
assemblies 10 in a forward and rearward translatable way.
In some embodiments, the plurality of drawer assemblies may be
arranged. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the number of
the drawer assemblies is two. Additionally, the two drawer
assemblies are in left-right parallel arrangement, so as to
facilitate classified storage of the articles. For example, an
internal space of one drawer may be made into a dry storage area,
and an internal space of the other drawer is made into a moist
storage area.
As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, one support assembly 10 is
arranged on the left side of the drawer assembly on the left side.
One support assembly 10 is arranged on the right side of the drawer
assembly on the right side. The support frame 100 of the right
support assembly 10 of the drawer assembly located on the left side
and the support frame 100 of the left support assembly 10 of the
drawer assembly located on the right side are formed on a support
frame base 510, so as to form an integral middle support assembly
50. The support frame base 510 is fixedly mounted on a bottom wall
of the storage compartment.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the
drawer 20 is provided with a bottom wall 205, and a rear sidewall
203, a left sidewall 201, a right sidewall 202 and a front end wall
204 respectively extending upward from four edges of the bottom
wall 205, so as to jointly define an accommodating space with an
upper side opening. A top edge of the front end wall 204 is higher
than the left sidewall 201 and the right sidewall 202 (as shown in
FIG. 5), so as to favorably seal the front side opening of the
storage compartment by the front end wall 204. An upper cover plate
40 is further arranged in the storage compartment. The upper cover
plate 40 is fixed to the inner wall of the storage compartment, and
is configured to seal and cover the upper side opening of the
drawer 20 when the drawer 20 is located in the rear extreme
position. An upper surface of the upper cover plate may also be
configured to store articles. As shown in FIG. 2, two mounting
bulges 41 are respectively arranged on the left side and the right
side of the upper cover plate 40. Two mounting recesses 302 are
respectively formed in the left sidewall and the right sidewall of
the storage compartment. Each mounting bulge 41 is embedded in one
mounting recess 302, so as to realize fixation of the upper cover
plate 40. When the drawer 20 is in the rear extreme position, a
sealing assembly is configured to seal a gap between the drawer 20
and the upper cover plate 40, so that an independent and sealed
storage space is formed inside the drawer 20.
As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 20 and FIG. 21, the sealing assembly
includes a front sealing strip 43 and a rear sealing strip 42. The
front sealing strip 43 is mounted on the front edge of the upper
cover plate 40 in a way of extending leftward and rightward. When
the drawer 20 is in the rear extreme position, the front sealing
strip 43 is abutted against the rear surface of the front end wall
204 in a sealed way.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 20, the front sealing strip 43 may
include a front sealing strip substrate 431 and a sealing portion
432. The front sealing strip substrate 431 extends leftward and
rightward for connection (such as bonding or clamp connection) with
the upper cover plate 40. The sealing portion 432 is connected to
the front side of the front sealing strip substrate 431, and is in
a hollow tubular shape, and a cavity 4321 is formed inside it. The
sealing portion 432 is configured to be in contact with the rear
surface of the front end wall 204, and is extruded rearward by the
rear surface of the front end wall 204 to generate elastic
deformation, thus facilitating sealing.
The rear sealing strip 42 is mounted on the lower surface of the
upper cover plate 40, and includes a rear sealing section 4201
extending leftward and rightward, and a left sealing section 4203
and a right sealing section 4202 bending forward from the left and
right ends of the rear sealing section 4201. When the drawer 20 is
in the rear extreme position, the rear sealing section 4201 is
abutted against the top edge of the rear sidewall 203 in a sealed
way. The left sealing section 4203 is abutted against the top edge
of the left sidewall 201 in a sealed way. The right sealing section
4202 is abutted against the top edge of the right sidewall 202 in a
sealed way.
Specifically, from a sectional view of the rear sealing strip shown
in FIG. 20, the rear sealing strip 42 may include a rear sealing
strip substrate 421 and a sealing sheet 422. The rear sealing strip
substrate 421 is configured for connection (such as bonding or
clamp connection) with the upper cover plate 40. The sealing sheet
422 downward extends out from the lower surface of the rear sealing
strip substrate 421, and generates elastic deformation when being
in contact with the top edge of the rear sidewall 203, the left
sidewall 201 or the right sidewall 202 of the drawer 20, thus
facilitating sealing. The thickness of the sealing sheet 422 is
thinner (may be less than 5 mm), thus facilitating its deformation.
For example, for the left sealing section 4202, the sealing sheet
422 is extruded by the top edge of the left sidewall 201 to bend
leftward or rightward, so as to be tightly attached to the top edge
of the left sidewall 201.
In some structures, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 21, preferably, the
top edges of the left sidewall 201 and the right sidewall 201
gradually slope downward at a preset angle .alpha. (referring to
FIG. 5) from the front side to the rear side respectively.
Correspondingly, the left sealing section 4203 and the right
sealing section 4202 of the rear sealing strip 42 gradually slope
downward from the front side to the rear side. Only when the drawer
20 is moved rearward to be about to be closed, the top edges of the
left sidewall 201 and the right sidewall 202 can be in contact with
the left sealing section 4203 and the right sealing section 4202,
so that greater friction is avoided, and the drawer is moved
rearward with less effort. At the same time, through such a design,
it is convenient for the drawer to tightly press rearward the rear
sealing strip, and a better sealing effect is achieved.
In some of the existing sealing structures, the above front sealing
strip and rear sealing strip may be manufactured into an integral
quadrangular structure. However, when the drawer using such a
structure is moved rearward, the left/right sealing section and the
front sealing strip are subject to a rearward friction force of the
drawer, and displacement and deformation are easily generated due
to the interaction, so that the sealing performance is influenced,
and a greater friction resistance may also be brought to the
drawer. In the present embodiment, the sealing assembly is divided
into two portions: the front sealing strip 43 and the rear sealing
strip 42. The front sealing strip 43 is configured to be abutted
against the front end wall 204 of the drawer 20 in a sealed way,
and cannot bring a friction resistance to the drawer 20 in the
process of moving rearward the drawer 20. No fixed connection
relationship exists among the left sealing section 4203 and right
sealing section 4202 of the rear sealing strip 42 and the front
sealing strip 43. In the process of moving rearward the drawer 20,
even if being pushed rearward by the top of the drawer 20, the left
sealing section 4203 and the right sealing section 4202 cannot
apply any acting force to the left and right ends of the front
sealing strip 43, so that the left and right ends of the front
sealing strip 43 can be prevented from being deformed and displaced
to influence the sealing or bring the greater friction resistance
to the rearward movement of the drawer.
As shown in FIG. 2, two drawer assemblies may be arranged in the
storage compartment. The upper cover plate 40 is configured to seal
and cover the upper side openings of the drawers 20 of the two
drawer assemblies. Additionally, the number of the sealing
assemblies is also two. The two sealing assemblies are in
left-right parallel arrangement on the upper cover plate 40, so as
to be respectively matched with the drawers of the two drawer
assemblies.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the support
frame 100 is provided on the rear portion of the inner side with an
elastic tongue 160. The drawer assembly is configured as: when the
drawer 20 is moved rearward to approach to the rear extreme
position, the rear end of the drawer pushes rearward the elastic
tongue 160, so that the elastic tongue generates elastic
deformation, thus allowing the elastic tongue 160 to apply a
forward elastic cushioning force to the drawer 20. Therefore, the
rearward movement of the drawer 20 is cushioned, and the drawer
will be stably closed without seriously colliding with other
components of the refrigerator. Generation of greater noise is
avoided. The service life of the drawer assembly is further
prolonged. Damage cannot be caused on food in the drawer.
For example, the elastic tongue 160 may extend forward and
rearward. Additionally, a rear portion 161 of the elastic tongue is
fixed to the support frame 100. A front portion 162 gradually
slopes upward and tilts from the rear side to the front side. The
elastic tongue 160 may be made of materials such as PS or
polystyrene. As shown in FIG. 7, the rear portion 161 of the
elastic tongue 160 may extend along a horizontal plane. An include
angle between the front portion 162 and the horizontal plane is
.beta.. .beta. is preferably in a range of 5 to 10.degree., so that
the elasticity is limited in a range of 5 to 7 N. A cushioning
effect can be achieved. An excessive resistance cannot be brought
to closing of the drawer 20. When the drawer 20 is moved rearward
to approach to the rear extreme position, the rear end of the
drawer is in contact with the lower surface of the front portion of
the elastic tongue 160 so as to push rearward the elastic tongue
160, so that the front portion of the elastic tongue 160 bends
upward to apply the elastic cushioning force to the drawer 20. In
some embodiments, a first pulley 600 is respectively mounted at the
rear end of the left sidewall 201 and the right sidewall 202 of the
drawer 20. When the drawer 20 is moved forward and rearward, the
first pulley 600 rolls on the upper surface of the first slideway
110. When the drawer 20 is moved rearward to approach to the rear
extreme position, the first pulley 600 is in contact with the lower
surface of the front portion 162 of the elastic tongue 160 so as to
push rearward the elastic tongue 160. Specifically, as shown in
FIG. 7, the elastic tongue 160 applies an acting force F passing
through the circle center of the first pulley and deviating toward
the lower side to the first pulley 600. A vertically downward
component force of the acting force F is offset by the slideway
110. A rearward component force of the acting force F is configured
to cushion the rearward movement of the drawer.
The left sidewall 201 and the right sidewall 202 of the drawer 20
are respectively provided with a second slideway 230 extending
forward and rearward, and the front end of the inner side of the
support frame 100 is provided with a second pulley 700. When the
drawer is moved forward and rearward, the second pulley 700 rolls
along the lower surface of the second slideway 230 so as to support
the second slideway 230. Further, as shown in FIG. 19, the bottom
surface of the second slideway 230 may also be provided with a
flange 231 extending forward and rearward. The second pulley 700 is
located on the inner side of the flange 231, so that the second
pulley 700 cannot leave away from the second pulley 230 due to
leftward and rightward movement. Through the two pulleys and the
two slideways, the drawers 20 are stably supported on the two
support frames 100. Additionally, the drawers can be pushed forward
and rearward with less effort.
In some alternative embodiments, sliding friction connection may
also be adopted between the slideway of the drawer 20 and the
slideway of the support frame 100 so as to omit the pulleys, or the
two pulleys may be both arranged on the drawer 20, or the two
pulleys are both arranged on the support frame 100. The specific
structure is omitted herein.
As shown in FIG. 6, a stop block 170 is fixed to the rear end of
the inner side (the side near the drawer) of the support frame of
the support assembly, and may be made of rubber materials. When the
drawer 20 is moved rearward to the rearward extreme position, the
rear end of the drawer collides with the stop block 170, so that
the drawer 20 is incapable of being continuously moved rearward,
and the maximum rearward movement position of the drawer 20 is
defined.
A preferable structure form of the support assembly is illustrated
hereafter through FIG. 4 to FIG. 19. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5,
the left sidewall 201 and the right sidewall 202 of the drawer 20
are respectively provided with an upper guide strip 210 and a lower
guide strip 220. The lower guide strip 220 is located below the
upper guide strip 210. The upper guide strip 210 and the lower
guide strip 220 are both provided with a bottom edge gradually
sloping downward from the rear side to the front side.
Each support assembly 10 includes a support frame 100, connecting
members 300 and elastic elements. FIG. 6 and FIG. 8 show the
support assembly 10 located on the left side of the drawer 20. FIG.
9 and FIG. 10 show the middle support assembly 50. In FIG. 11 to
FIG. 18, the upper guide strip 210 and the lower guide strip 220
are both represented by dotted lines.
An upper slide groove 150 and a lower slide groove 140 are formed
in the support frame 100. The upper slide groove 150 extends
forward and rearward. The lower slide groove 140 is of a
three-section structure, and includes a front vertical section 141,
a horizontal section 142 extending rearward from the bottom end of
the front vertical section 141, and a rear vertical section 143
extending downward from the rear end of the horizontal section 142.
Smooth transition is preferably adopted between the front vertical
section 141 and the horizontal section 142.
The front and rear ends of the connecting member 300 are
respectively provided with a front guide post 310 and a rear guide
post 320 with axes extending leftward and rightward. The front
guide post 310 extends into the lower slide groove 140, and can
slide in the extending direction of the lower slide groove 140. The
rear guide post 320 extends into the upper slide groove 150, and
can slide in the extending direction of the upper slide groove 150.
It could be understood that because the shape of the lower slide
groove 140 is irregular, when the connecting member 300 slides
forward and rearward, rotation taking the axis of the rear guide
post 320 as an axis will further be generated.
The elastic element is configured to apply a rearward elastic
pre-tightening force to the connecting member 300. The elastic
element may be specifically a tension spring 500. The front end of
the tension spring 500 is fixed to the rear portion of the
connecting member 300. The rear end is fixed to the support frame
100.
The processes of opening and closing the drawer 20 will be
described hereafter:
(1) The drawer 20 is in a normal open state, as shown in FIG. 11
and FIG. 12. At this time, the connecting members 300 are subject
to the rearward elastic pre-tightening force, so that the front
guide post 310 is clamped in the front vertical section 141. The
upper guide strip 210 and the lower guide strip 220 are located in
front of the front guide post 310.
(2) The process of closing the drawer 20, i.e., the process shown
in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, is shown. In this
process, the user firstly pushes rearward the drawer 20, the upper
guide strip 210 is moved rearward accordingly, and the bottom edge
of the upper guide strip will be in contact with the front guide
post 310. The bottom edge of the upper guide strip 210 extends
slantways, so that it presses downward the front guide post 310 in
a rearward movement process, and the front guide post 310 is moved
downward in the front vertical section 141 until leaving away from
the front vertical section 141 to enter the horizontal section 142.
The front guide post 310 will be moved rearward under the effect of
the elastic pre-tightening force while entering the horizontal
section 142, so as to be just abutted against the front edge of the
lower guide strip 220. Then, the lower guide strip 220 is pushed to
move rearward in an accelerated way under the effect of the
pre-tightening force along the horizontal section 142, i.e., the
drawer 20 is pushed to move rearward in an accelerated way until
the drawer 20 is completely closed. At this time, the front guide
post 310 is just located at the rear end of the horizontal section
142.
Preferably, in the process of moving rearward and closing the
drawer 20, when the front guide post 310 leaves away from the front
vertical section 141, the front end of the lower guide strip 220 is
located at a preset distance (such as 1 to 3 cm) in front of the
front guide post 310 (instead of being just in contact with the
lower guide strip 220), so that after leaving away from the front
vertical section 141, the front guide post 310 is moved rearward in
an accelerated way under the effect of the elastic pre-tightening
force to collide with the lower guide strip 220, and a prompt sound
is given out to prompt the user to close the drawer. The user can
loosen the grip after hearing the prompt sound, so that the drawer
20 is automatically closed, and the user experience is very
good.
(3) The process of normally opening the drawer 20, i.e., the
process in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, is shown. In
this process, the user pulls forward the drawer 20, and the lower
guide strip 220 overcomes the elastic pre-tightening force to push
the front guide post 310 to move forward along the horizontal
section 142. When the frontmost end of the horizontal section 142
is reached, the front guide post 310 is gradually moved upward
along a junction of the horizontal section 142 and the front
vertical section 141 to enter the front vertical section 141, so as
to be clamped in the front vertical section 141 again. At this
time, the front guide post 310 has leaved away from the lower guide
strip 220, and the drawer 20 can be continuously moved forward to
be opened to a degree required by the user.
(4) Under some abnormal conditions, the drawer 20 is in an abnormal
open state. As shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the front guide post
310 is located at the rear end of the horizontal section 142. The
upper guide strip 210 and the lower guide strip 220 are located in
front of the front guide post 310. At this time, the mechanism has
failed. The user needs to move rearward the drawer 20, so that the
lower guide strip 220 is moved rearward to a position in contact
with the front guide post 310. The lower guide strip 220 is moved
rearward, and at the same time, the bottom edge of the lower guide
strip presses downward the front guide post 310, so that the front
guide post 310 enters the rear vertical section 143, so as to allow
the lower guide strip 220 to cross the front guide post 310 (a
state as shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18). Then, the connecting member
300 rotates under the effect of the elastic pre-tightening force,
so that the front guide post 310 is moved upward so as to be
located in front of the lower guide strip 220 again to return the
state as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14. The drawer 20 is in a normal
closing state again, so that the user can conveniently complete the
normal opening process later.
In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 8, the support frame 100 is
provided with an inner layer plate 120 and an outer layer plate 130
extending forward and rearward and parallel to each other. The
inner layer plate 120 is closer to the drawer 20. The upper slide
groove 150 and the lower slide groove 140 are formed in the inner
layer plate 120. The upper slide groove 150 is formed in the outer
layer plate 130. The upper slide groove 150 of the inner layer
plate 120 is opposite to the upper slide groove 150 of the outer
layer plate 130. The connecting member 300 is located between the
inner layer plate 120 and the outer layer plate 130. The rear end
of the connecting member is provided with two rear guide posts 320
extending leftward and rightward. The two rear guide posts 320
respectively enter one upper slide groove 150. The front end of the
connecting member is provided with one front guide post 310
extending toward the drawer 20. The front guide post 310 passes
through the lower slide groove 140, and protrudes out of the
surface of the support frame 100, so as to be in contact with the
upper guide strip 210 and the lower guide strip 220.
As described above, for the embodiment provided with two drawer
assemblies, the support frame of the right support assembly of the
drawer assembly located on the left side and the support frame of
the left support assembly of the drawer assembly located on the
right side are formed on the support frame base 510, so as to form
the integral middle support assembly 50. The inner layer plates 120
of the two support frames 100 on the support frame base 510 of the
middle support assembly 50 are formed on the support frame base
510. Additionally, the outer layer plates 130 of the two support
frames 100 are of an integrally formed integral member, and are
detachably located between the two inner layer plates 120. The two
outer layer plates 130 and the support frame base 510 are in
separated arrangement so as to facilitate mold design.
Hereto, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
although a number of exemplary embodiments of the present invention
have been shown and described in detail herein, many other
variations or modifications in accordance with the principles of
the present invention can be directly ascertained or derived from
the disclosure of the present invention without departing from the
spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of
the present invention should be understood and deemed to cover all
such other variations or modifications.
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